


Secondary Succession

by unidentifiedreveler



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, Family, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-03
Updated: 2018-02-02
Packaged: 2019-03-12 21:24:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,598
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13555860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unidentifiedreveler/pseuds/unidentifiedreveler
Summary: “So, my greatest fear is that something will happen to me and I won’t be around to protect her. All Ruby has is me, so if I’m not here… then what will happen to her?”“We’re your family, and we’re Ruby’s family too.”Weeks after the defeat of Reign and subsequent loss of Sam, relationships strain under the weight of old and new revelations.or.Ruby figures she might as well go out with a bang and tries her hand at matchmaking.





	Secondary Succession

**Author's Note:**

> I couldn't get this story out of my head, so here we are.
> 
> No Maggie just yet, but she is an important part of this story. All relationship tags are the end goals and will happen in due time.
> 
> Enjoy!

**Chapter One:** The Eye of the Storm

_"Faster, Ruby, we have to hurry. She's gaining on us," Samantha calls over her shoulder._

_Ruby barely gets out a nod before she's suddenly on the ground, having tripped over an errant tree root. The forest fire in their wake was already making it difficult to breathe. The stench of smoke in the air makes her surroundings feel like they are closing in on her. Now, on her knees and unable to stand, Ruby struggles to catch her breath. Each inhale sends a flash of pain through her chest._

 

_One second Samantha is yards away and the next she's crouched down in front of Ruby. The fear in Samantha's eyes as she glances back at the destruction steadily gaining on them makes Ruby's insides twist themselves into a knot._

 

_"Just... go on without me, Mom," Ruby croaks. "You're the one she wants!"_

 

_"No, I'm not leaving you," Samantha grits out._

 

_The words give Ruby no comfort. The earnestness on Samantha's face causes her to flinch. She has every reason - years of love, devotion, and sacrifice - to believe her mother, but she can't. A part of her knows that Samantha's words are untrue._

 

_But how?_

 

_Just as Ruby opens her mouth to respond, the forest floor starts to tremble. Ruby struggles to her feet as deep cracks begin to appear in the ground. Tree trunks split open. The forest roars as if in protest._

 

_"She's here."  The voice halts Ruby’s increasingly frantic movements because it doesn’t belong to her mother._

 

_Reign._

_Reign stands a few feet away from Ruby. She’s wearing a weird combination of her signature black mask and… the same clothes as Samantha was. Her mouth is twisted into a snarl. A quick glance around the decaying forest confirms that Samantha is no longer with her._

_“Where’s my mother?” Ruby yells. “Give her back.” Her voice cracks on the last word._

_Reign laughs at that. “Aww, Rubes, you still don’t get it. She’s gone. You’re all alon-“_

_Suddenly, the sound of shrill beeping floods Ruby’s ears. Reign frowns in confusion and then everything goes black._

Ruby Arias jerks awake with a muffled cry. The blankets surrounding her feel smothering, so she throws them off and slides to the edge of the bed. Her feet barely touch the bedroom’s carpet. The bed groans under her sudden movements.

 

She can still smell the smoke from her dream. Her ears are still ringing from the beeping that fills the room…

 

It takes Ruby a second to realize that there _is_ smoke in the apartment. The annoying beeping sound is coming from her ceiling…

 

_Oh no._

 

Ruby dashes out the bedroom, but the sight that greets her down the hall a few yards away makes her sag in relief.

 

It’s Alex.

 

She’s standing on a stool in the kitchen jabbing a broom at the still-blaring smoke detector on the ceiling.

 

“I can’t believe I let Maggie talk me into getting a Nest Smoke Detector, as if it would make a difference,” Alex mumbles under her breath. “Smart device my as– oh, Ruby!”

 

Alex raises her voice to be heard over the noise. “One sec!” Ruby hides a smile at Alex’s victory yell when she manages to prod the device from the ceiling. It hits the floor with a thud and Alex quickly makes her way around the dining table and over to Ruby.

 

“Are you okay?” Alex’s hands hover in the air above Ruby’s shoulders before dropping back down to her sides. Her shoulders dip slightly in defeat. “I thought I’d cook us breakfast for a change since today is a special occasion. I looked away for a second and…” Alex trails off gesturing at the sink.

 

Ruby sees the blackened frying pot and can barely make out the charred bacon lining its bottom. It may seem dark, but she appreciates moments like this. Her mother was a decent cook – at least at breakfast. Alex is a horrible cook. The differences help her catalog _then_ from her life now.

 

“Ruby?” Alex’s hands are hovering over Ruby’s shoulders again and Ruby forces herself to smile.  She shrugs at Alex’s first question.

 

“You owe the swear jar some _mulah_.”

 

Alex sighs. “Fine… _wait_ , when did I curse?”

 

“You just said it like a minute ago when you blamed the smoke detector for doing its job,” Ruby answers warily.

 

Alex frowns in confusion. “How could you have heard…” A key in the apartment’s front door captures both Ruby and Alex’s attention.

 

It quickly swings open to reveal a sunny Kara. “Good morning,” Kara smiles. “Big day today!”

 

Alex and Ruby adopt twin grimaces at her chipper tone so early in the morning. Kara doesn’t miss a beat, seemingly unsurprised by the chunk of metal on the floor of the kitchen and the burnt cookware in the sink.

 

“You both are such grumps in the morning. But,” Kara whips out a paper bag from behind her back, “lucky for you both, I brought some breakfast.”

 

Ruby perks up at this development, just now realizing how hungry she is. She shoots Alex an apologetic look before leaving her side and scurrying over to Kara’s.

 

“Traitor!” Alex huffs.

 

“How’d you know?” Ruby stage whispers.

 

Kara throws an arm around Ruby’s shoulders and walks them past a grumbling Alex and over to the dining table. Ruby cannot help but grin at the sight of Alex “tough” Danvers pouting. “Alex texted me that she was going to cook breakfast.”

 

 _Of course._ Ruby nods firmly. “Makes sense,” she says seriously.

 

Alex dumps the entire burnt frying pan into the garbage can and turns toward them with both hands on her hips. “You know I can hear you both, right?”

 

/v\/v\/v\

 

Despite a somewhat rocky beginning with Alex (nearly) setting the apartment ablaze. Breakfast is going better than Alex hoped it would. Of course, this is in no small part due to Kara’s presence. For the millionth time in the three weeks that Ruby has been living with her, Alex is immensely grateful for her sister.

 

Between helping Alex convert her home office into a bedroom for Ruby, constantly showing up for the numerous, impromptu movie nights Alex and Ruby find themselves amidst, and always answering Alex’s frantic ‘I don’t know what I’m doing?!” phone calls at 3 am after Ruby is asleep – Alex, not for the first time, has no idea what she’d do without Kara.

 

Danvers Sisters Bantering is one of the few things that can always pull a genuine laugh from Ruby. A feat who’s difficulty level understandably skyrocketed following Reign’s defeat at the hands of Supergirl.

 

Kara’s sisterly teasing of Alex’s horrible cooking skills easily carries them through the first half of breakfast. Reality must have creeped into the room when none of them noticed though, because now the mood at the table has become solemn.

 

Kara having long finished her ten pancakes, six pieces of bacon, and four pieces of toast keeps shooting Alex meaningful looks across the table in between watching Ruby, whose smiles and laughter have faded. She now picks at her remaining food absentmindedly.

 

Its moments like these where Alex feels the most out of her depth. She knows what she would do if she were dealing with Kara, or even her ex-fiancé Maggie, but comforting Ruby isn’t second nature to her yet. She constantly second guesses her instincts in the face of Ruby’s pain.

 

Alex takes a swig of her black coffee before addressing the elephant in the room. “Ruby?” Ruby’s eyes snap to Alex and not for the first time, she is unsure of what emotion lies within the girl’s brown orbs. She distantly hears a car backfire outside and is considering her words so carefully that she misses the twin winces that sprout on both Kara and Ruby’s faces.

 

“I know we discussed this already, but it’s not too late to back out if you don’t feel like going to school just yet.”

 

The small smile Ruby gives seems a tad bit forced to Alex, but she finds herself relaxing at the sight of it nonetheless. “I’m totally up for it,” Ruby shrugs. “I’m gonna keep a low profile so it should be fine. Plus, no offense, but you can’t stay here and babysit me forever. You’re going more stir-crazy than that time when your leg was broken.”

 

Kara snorts. “She’s got you there.”

 

“I am not going stir-crazy.”

 

Ruby straightens up a little in her chair. “Yesterday you almost injured yourself twelve times trying to dissemble your alien gun… I counted.” Alex’s mouth drops open because… yeah, Ruby’s one-hundred percent correct. “It’ll be good for you to get back out there… in the field.”

 

Alex rolls her eyes. When did she become the child here? “If you’re sure,” she acquiesces.

 

Ruby gets halfway through a nod before her smug demeanor morphs into one of hesitance. Her gaze returns to the uneaten food on her plate. “But, umm… you’ll be careful though right?”

 

Alex slowly brings her hand up to rest on Ruby’s elbow. Since Reign fell, Ruby hasn’t reacted well to sudden physical contact. Alex basks in the small victory when Ruby doesn’t flinch at the contact.

 

“Always,” she says firmly, exchanging worried glances across the table with Kara. “Plus, according to you I’m the toughest person in the universe, so…”

 

Alex smiles when Ruby cuts her off. “I said you were the toughest person _I’ve_ ever met. I haven’t met everyone in the universe so I’m not sure if that’s completely accurate.”

 

Alex waves a hand through the air. “Yeah, yeah. Potato, po _tat_ o.”

 

Ruby looks to Kara in exasperation and Kara smirks. “I’m sure Supergirl will keep a close eye on Alex, just in case there are any alien guns nearby and she decides to try and take them apart.”

 

Alex is too relieved at her stirring of breakfast back to familiar, playful territory that she doesn’t feel Ruby stiffen next to her. The sudden presence of Kara’s forehead crinkle captures her attention though and she quickly directs it to Ruby. She is slightly slumped over in her chair. Alex doesn’t need super-hearing to notice the spike in Ruby’s heartrate. When Alex sees Ruby’s fist in the pocket of her sweatpants, she doesn’t need x-ray vision to know what Ruby is clutching.

 

Ruby lets out a shaky exhale. Between that and Kara’s crestfallen expression Alex suddenly feels like she’s just fought one hundred Daxamites and lost.

 

“Thanks for breakfast,” Ruby mumbles. The squeak of her metal chair on the hardwood floor echoes through the room. “I should go get ready for school…” Ruby manages a weak, apologetic smile. It’s a poor remnant of the ones countless hours of babysitting made Alex accustomed to “… big day today.”

 

/v\/v\/v\

 

Kara watches Ruby walk into her bedroom and close the door in silence. She feels like an idiot. How could she forget? Maybe another one of her superpowers was avoiding something to the point where she mentally willed it out of existence.

Kara feels Alex’s hand on her own. “It’s okay.”

“How is this okay, Alex? Ruby is so terrified of me that a casual mention of my name makes her nearly have a panic attack.” Kara forces herself to keep her voice barely above a whisper. “She won’t wear the necklace her mother gave her because it’s my symbol. She can’t even _look_ at it, she just carries it around like a ball and chain.”

“Things are complicated now, but just a few weeks ago Ruby idolized Supergirl. I’m sure those feelings are still there somewhere. Maybe it’s easier for her to fear Supergirl than Reign for obvious reasons.”

Kara is distracted by the sound of the accelerated heart rate reverberating through her senses. _“Come on, come on, get it together...”_ Kara doesn’t mean to spy, but it’s hard to ignore Ruby’s voice in the small apartment.

“This feels different, like something more. Maybe it’s time she learns the truth.”

Alex’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise. “You want to tell Ruby your secret?”

“I mean, I was hoping you’d be there too but yeah.” Kara plays with her fork for a moment. “It feels wrong keeping this from her.”

Kara sees Alex bite her lip and knows her sister is choosing her words carefully. “I don’t think now is the best time considering everything that happened between you and Reign… things might be too raw now.”

“There’s never a right time. If I wait for the perfect moment, she could find out on her own. It’s only a matter of time with her living here with you. She’s a part of this family and I don’t want to lose her. I can’t go through that...” Kara’s shoulders slump. She’d promised herself that today was going to be a good day. It was supposed to be a new beginning for Ruby and Alex. She told herself it would be one for her too. She’d start filling the holes in her life left by Sam and Lena’s exits instead of ignoring them. “…not again.”

“Hey,” Alex is using her firm-yet-soothing ‘you better listen to me’ big sister voice and Kara can’t help but meet her eyes. “You haven’t lost Lena. She just needs some time and space.”

“It’s been three wee–” Alex holds up a hand and Kara trails off.

“She just needs to work everything out in that big brain of hers.” Alex sighs at Kara’s downcast expression. “But, hey, maybe you’ll see her sooner than you think.”

 _That sounds ominous._ “What do you mean?”

Alex runs a hand through her short hair and Kara immediately recognizes the nervous gesture. She sits up slightly in her chair. “I know this is bad timing, but Ruby mentioned that she hasn’t seen Lena in a while. She was hoping you’d bring her when you go pick her up from school this afternoon.”

“Oh,” If anyone else in the universe besides the 13-year-old daughter of the only person Kara has ever killed asked this of her, Kara is certain she would say no. But it’s not. It’s _Ruby_ , so she doesn’t have a choice. “I’ll try my best.”

Alex leans across the table to nudge Kara’s shoulder. “Supergirl’s best? That’ll do,” she grins. Kara can’t help but smile back.

It’s _Alex._

Kara and Alex have just finished clearing the dining table and washing the breakfast dishes when Ruby’s bedroom door slams open. A fully dressed, backpack-toting Ruby dashes towards the front door of the apartment. After quickly unlocking the door, Ruby pauses for a moment. “Last one to the car loses their movie vote at the next movie night!” Then Ruby is gone.

Kara laughs in rhythm with Ruby’s footsteps down the stairwell. She stops when she sees Alex’s sudden devious expression.

“If you don’t let me beat you, the windows are staying closed the entire drive to Ruby’s school.”

Kara gasps in genuine offense. “You wouldn’t.” Kara hates driving in cars in general. She can fly for goodness sakes, riding in a car is practically the opposite of that. Still, she can suffer through quietly enough if the windows are open.

“I most certainly would.” Kara sees Alex start to dart around her and toward the apartment’s exit. Milliseconds drag by and she heavily considers tripping her sister. The image of the girl of steel being confined to a metal box with no fresh air for at least a small eternity of twenty minutes makes her decide _nay_.

Against all odds, Kara is the last person into Alex’s new car. Kara didn’t fully comprehend how committed her sister was to becoming Ruby’s guardian until Alex traded in her motorcycle without a second thought.

Kara quickly takes her seat in the back of the vehicle, all the while ignoring Alex and Ruby’s giggles, with her head held high and a totally non-pouty: ‘Whatever’.

 

/v\/v\/v\

 

Two knocks on her office door startle Lena. She jerks awake, horrified at the realization that she’s fallen asleep at her desk on top of her closed laptop like some overstressed college student.

“Ms. Luthor?” Lena would recognize the muffled voice anywhere.

“Come in, Jess.”

Lena squints at Jess as the assistant enters her office. Although her eyes are strained from overexposure to computer screens the past few weeks, the primary reason for her squinting is due to the odd expression on Jess’ face. It’s a strange combination of hesitance and anger that Lena has never seen on the woman before.

“Ms. Luthor, umm… Kara Danvers is here to see you.”

“Oh.” Jess gapes at her ineloquence and Lena doesn’t know what else to say. She feels wholly unprepared for this twist in her plans for today.  Lena has always struggled to adapt to sudden change and surprises, especially when they both happen at once.

\---

_Lena struggles to process the sight of Reign hovering above her in what remains of her penthouse apartment. She was on the couch reading, in a rare moment of alone time before Reign flew into the living room, shattering all the room’s windows, lifted the couch after shaking Lena off like excess glitter from glue, and threw the couch into her apartment’s reinforced doorway, blocking it’s one exit._

_“Well you have my attention.” Lena mumbles, struggling into a sitting position on the floor. She tries to ignore the broken glass wedged in her arm from Reign’s destructive entrance. “What do you want?”_

_Reign smiles and the sight gives Lena goosebumps. “I’m here for your awakening.”_

_“You’ll have to come back tomorrow morning around 5:30 a.m. for tha –” The pressure of Reign’s hand around Lena’s throat halts her words. Reign holds Lena in the air until the first panicked gasp for oxygen erupts from her lungs, then she deposits her back to the ground on her feet._

_Lena hunches over trying to catch her breath. “I have little interest in humans, but you managed to peak my interest. Sister of Lex Luthor and daughter of Lillian Luthor, I was certain National City needed purging of you. Imagine my surprise when I discovered you were the one being done an injustice.”_

_“Wha… what are you talking about?”_

_Reign removes her mask and time freezes for Lena. For the first time in her life, Lena is unable to comprehend what she sees._

_Despite the dark make-up and high ponytail, Lena immediately recognizes her oldest friend._

_It’s Sam._

_Reign is Sam._

_Sam is Reign._

_Lena crumples to the floor in shock. “Every single person in your life has been lying to you, Lena.” Reign takes a step towards Lena, and Lena scurries backwards until her back hits a wall._

_Reign pivots towards the remains of the wall that once held Lena’s bay window and tilts her head curiously for a moment before rolling her eyes. “Wake up, Lena. Stop trying to save a world that’s done nothing for you. Oh, and tell Kara I said ‘hi’.”_

_Faster than Lena can blink, Reign… Sam is gone from her apartment. Two seconds later, Supergirl arrives. It isn’t until she falls to her knees in front of her and says, “Lena! Did she hurt you?! You’re bleeding.” that Lena connects the dots. She sees that crinkle in Supergirl’s forehead and registers Sam’s words just before her abrupt exit._

**_“Kara?”_ **

_\---_

“Ms. Luthor?” The worried hitch in Jess’ voice is very familiar and grounds Lena back into the present.

“Thanks for letting me know. You can send her in.” Jess shoots her a look that practically screams ‘are you sure?’ and Lena nods in response.

Lena isn’t sure what to do with herself the moment Jess leaves. She knows she only has seconds until she’ll be face to face with Kara for the first time in weeks. Just as she starts to compile a list of aloof greetings to choose from, Lena notices Kara standing in her doorway. All her prep goes out the window and she’s speechless.

Her silence makes no difference though, because the moment their eyes meet Kara launches into a speech.

“Lena, I just want you to know that I respect you and your request for time and space. I’m here because today is Ruby’s first day back at school and she mentioned wanting to see you afterwards. I was planning to pick her up at three. You can come with me, if you’d like.” At Lena’s raised eyebrow, Kara reluctantly amends her statement. “Or you can go by yourself.” Kara’s arms are crossed over her chest and for the first time since entering Lena’s office, her gaze drifts to the carpeted floor. “She misses you.”

Lena clears her throat, hoping to dispel any unwarranted emotion in her voice. “Alright, if you forward me the school’s address, I’ll meet you there at 2:50.” Crazily enough, Lena would rather shine a flashlight into the abyss between herself and Kara than be alone with Ruby and her festering guilt.

Kara’s tense shoulders sag in relief. “Will do. Thank you, Lena.”

Lena opens her laptop, making to continue her paperwork, and Kara turns to leave at the blatant dismissal.

“Kara?” Lena finds herself whispering, unbidden. Kara immediately halts her movements but doesn’t turn back around. Lena is grateful for this. “Why’d you come here? You could have texted me all that.”

Kara hesitates a moment before answering and Lena can mentally picture the sheepish expression she’s sure Kara is donning. “I’m sorry, I just wanted to see how you were doing for myself. I… I miss you.”

That’s the only explanation Lena hadn’t considered. 

“Oh.”

**Author's Note:**

> Constructive feedback is greatly appreciated. 
> 
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
